Split drive roll and method of forming same

ABSTRACT

This drive roll is particularly adapted for use as the drive for rotating a yarn take-up package on a textile machine. The drive roll includes a pair of identical semi-circular molded plastic shell-like parts which may be easily mounted on and removed from a drive shaft. Each semi-circular shell includes a plurality of pins formed integrally with and spaced along one side of the shell and a plurality of matching recesses spaced along the other side of the shell and aligned with the pins so that the pins of one shell will mate with and be positioned in the recesses of the other shell when the shells are aligned and join at opposite sides of the drive shaft. Suitable fastening means is provided for maintaining the shells in joined together relationship and means is provided for preventing rotation of the assembled drive roll on the drive shaft.

United States Patent [19] Harris 1 SPLIT DRIVE ROLL AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME [75] Inventor: Ted 1). Harris, Dallas, NC.

[73] Assignee: Universal Machine Company, 1116.,

Dallas, NC.

[22] Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 318,028

[52] 11.8. C1. 242/18 DD, 29/124, 29/445 [51] Int. Cl... B6511 54/46, B65h 54/48, 1321b 31/00 [58] Field of Search 242/18 DD, 43.2,

[ Jan..8,1974

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 262,841 12/1926 Great Britain 242/18 DD Primary Examiner-Stanley N. Gilreath Attorney-Julian E. Carnes, Jr. et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT This drive roll is particularly adapted for use as the drive for rotating a yarn take-up package on a textile machine. The drive roll includes a pair of identical semi-circular molded plastic shell-like parts which may be easily mounted on and removed from a drive shaft. Each semi-circular shell includes a plurality of pins formed integrally with and spaced along one side of the shell and a plurality of matching recesses spaced along the other side of the shell and aligned with the pins so that the pins of one shell will mate with and be positioned in the recesses of the other shell when the shells are aligned and join at opposite sides of the drive shaft. Suitable fastening means is provided for maintaining the shells in joined together relationship and means is provided for preventing r0- tation of the assembled drive roll on the drive shaft.

4 Qlaims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 SPLIT DRIVE ROLL AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME This invention relates generally to a split drive roll and method of forming the same and more particularly to such a drive roll which is adapted for use as the drive for a yarn take-up package on various types of textile machines.

Several different types of textile machines, such as winders, yarn texturing machines and the like, are provided with a plurality of yarn processing stations wherein the yarn at each station is wound onto a takeup package. The take-up packages are rotated by drive rolls spaced along a common drive shaft and the takeup packages rest by gravity on the drive rolls. On occasion, the yarn is not properly wound onto the take-up package and instead is wound around the drive roll. It is the common practice to remove the wound yarn from the drive roll by cutting the same and stripping it from the drive roll. This practice eventually leads to sufficient damage to the drive roll that it must be replaced. When solid drive rolls are spaced along the common drive shaft, it is necessary to remove undamaged drive rolls so that the damaged drive roll may be moved along the drive shaft to the free end thereof. This is a time consuming operation as the removed drive rolls must be again properly aligned and placed in position on the drive shaft. Also, the drive shaft must be removed and replaced.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a split drive roll for a yarn take-up package which may be individually mounted on and removed from a drive shaft without the necessity of removing the drive shaft from the textile machine and without disturbing the position and location of the remaining undamaged drive rolls.

In accordance with the present invention, the present split drive roll is formed of a pair of identical semicircular molded plastic parts with each part comprising a semi-circular shell having opposed end walls molded integrally with the shell. Each end wall has a central semi-circular recess adapted to engage and surround the drive shaft and a plurality of pins are formed integrally with and spaced along one side of the shell while a plurality of recesses are spaced along the other side of the shell and are aligned with the pins. One shell is positioned on one side of the drive shaft and another identical shell is faced in the reverse direction so that the pins of one shell mate with and are positioned in the recesses of the other shell. The shells are then joined together at opposite sides of the drive shaft. Screws are provided for fastening the pair of shells together and a set screw is provided for engaging the drive shaft to prevent rotation of the drive roll on the drive shaft.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a portion of a textile machine illustrating three yarn processing stations equipped with the slit drive roll of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 2--2 in FIG. 1 and illustrating the manner in which the yarn take-up package rests on and is driven by the split drive roll;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the split drive roll and illustrating the manner in which it is supported on the drive shaft;

FIG. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the split drive roll;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of that area of the drive roll included within the dotted rectangle 5 in FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of one-half of the split drive roll.

The split drive roll of the present invention may be used on several different types of textile machines, such as winders, yarn texturing machines and the like. These machines are usually provided with spaced apart yarn processing stations along one or both sides of the frame of the machine. At each of the three yarn processing stations illustrated in FIG. 1, one or more yarns are withdrawn from yarn supply packages 10, guided over suitable guide rods and processed, such as by heating and false-twisting, and are then guided through traversing guides 11 supported in spaced apart relationship on a traverse rod 12 so that the yarn moves back and forth as it is wound onto a take-up package 13. The take-up package 13 is normally supported in the forwardends of support arms or cradles 14 to rest by gravity on and be driven by the drive roll which is fixed on a common drive shaft 15.

The drive shaft 15 normally extends along one side of the textile machine and there may be another identical drive shaft extending along the opposite side of the machine. The yarn take-up package drive rolls are usually of one-piece construction and are spaced along and fixed on the drive shaft at each yarn processing station. On occasion, the yarn will be improperly wound onto the drive roll instead of being wound onto the take-up package 13. When this occurs, it is the common practice for the operator to run a sharp instrument, such as a knife, along the outer surface of the drive roll thereby cutting the convolusions of yarn wound onto the roll. In many instances, the cut is made deep enough to score and damage the roll itself and the damaged roll must be replaced. In order to replace a damaged roll, the drive shaft must be removed and all of the rolls between the damaged roll and the end of the drive shaft must be removed and replaced. With the split drive roll of the present invention, it is not necessary to remove the drive shaft to replace a damaged drive roll but the individual drive rolls may be replaced without disturbing the remaining drive rolls or removing the drive shaft.

The split drive rolls each comprise a pair of identical semi-circular molded plastic parts, indicated broadly at A and A. The parts A and A are identical and only the parts of A will be described in detail and the corresponding parts of A will bear like reference characters with the prime notation added. The part A is in the form of a molded semi-cylindrical shell having opposed end walls 20, 21 molded integrally with the shell. The end walls 20, 21 are provided with respective central semi-circular recesses 22, 23 which are adapted to engage and surround the drive shaft 15. I-Iub portions 24, 25 are molded integrally with the respective end walls 20, 21 and outwardly extending web portions 26, 27 extend outwardly from and are formed integrally with the end walls 20, 21 and hubs 24, 25 at each end of the shell.

Spaced apart reinforcing ribs 30 are molded integrally with the inner surface of the shell of the part A. A plurality of pins 31 are molded integrally with and spaced along one side of the shell A and a plurality of recesses 32 are spaced along the other side of the shell and aligned with the pins 31.

Bores 34 are provided through the web portions 26 of the end wall 20 for the passage of suitable fastening means in the form of screws 35 (FIG. 6). The webs 27 at the other end wall 20 are provided with threaded bores 37 for receiving and retaining the inner ends of the fastening screws 35, in a manner to be presently described.

A threaded bore 38 extends through the hub 24 of the end wall 20 and means, in the form of a set screw 40, extends through the threaded bore 38 and its inner end is adapted to engage the drive shaft to prevent rotation of the drive roll on the drive shaft when the two parts of the split drive roll are assembled on the drive shaft.

To assemble the parts A and A on the drive shaft 15, the part A is positioned on one side of the drive shaft 15 and the part A is reversed and positioned on the other side of the drive shaft so that the two edge portions are brought together with the pins 31 of part A engaged in the recesses 32' of the part A. While the two parts are held in this position, the screws 35 are placed in the bores 34 in the part A and in the corresponding bores at the other end of the part A. The screws 35 are then screwed into corresponding threaded bores 37, 37' to securely fasten the two halves of the drive roll together. The set screws 40 are then threaded into the corresponding hubs 24 and 24 and tightened against the shaft 15, as illustrated in FIG. 3, to prevent rotation of the drive roll on the shaft. In order to remove the split drive roll from the drive shaft 15, the fastening screws 35 are removed and the two halves of the drive roll are separated so that they may be removed from the drive shaft 15.

METHOD OF FORMING SPLIT DRIVE ROLL As indicated heretofore, identical roll halves are molded ofa suitable plastic material. Plain unthreaded holes 34 are then drilled through web portions 26 of the end wall and the threaded hole 38 is formed by drilling and tapping through the hub portion 24 of the end wall 20. The threaded bores 37 are then formed in the web portions 27 of end wall 21, as by boring and tapping.

In order to insure that the halves of the split roll properly fit together and provide a smooth outer circumfer ential surface for driving a take-up package, pairs of the drive rolls are joined together in mating relationship on a shaft, in the same manner as they would be joined on the drive shaft ofa textile machine. The drive roll is then rotated and the outer surface is ground smooth to provide a smooth cylindrical outer surface of the required diameter on the drive roll. This grinding operation also provides a matte-like finish on the drive roll which provides a more positive drive for the takeup package than would the smooth molded outer sur face of the molded parts. After the grinding operation is completed, the two halves are removed from the drive shafts and again connected together so that they will remain in this condition until they are placed on the drive shaft of the textile machine, thereby assuring that the two mated and matched halves will be used together.

The split drive roll of the present invention may be varied in length and diameter as necessary to suit the length and rotational speed of the type of take-up pack age which is to be driven thereby. Also, the size and number of aligning pins 31 and recesses, as well as the number and size of the reinforcing ribs may be varied. The thickness of the end walls 20, 21 may be varied as desired. In order to maintain the end walls fairly thin and to provide sufficient material to securely hold the fastening screws 35, integrally molded bosses 41 and 42 are provided on the inner surfaces of the corresponding end walls 20, 21.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed is:

1. A yarn take-up package drive roll comprising a pair of identical semi-cylindrical molded plastic parts adapted to be mounted for ready removal on a dirve shaft, each of said parts including a. a molded semi-cylindrical shell,

b. opposed end walls molded integrally with said shell,

0. each end wall having a central semi-circular recess adapted to engage and surround said drive shaft,

a. a plurality of pins formed integrally with and spaced along one side of said shell,

e. A plurality of recesses spaced along the other side of said shell and aligned with said pins, said pins of one of said shells mating with and being positioned in said recesses of the other of a pair of said shells when said shells are aligned and joined at opposite sides of said drive shaft,

f. fastening means extending through portions of said end walls of said shells to maintain said shells joined together on opposite sides of said drive shaft, and

g. means extending through a portion of at least one of said end walls of each of said shells for engaging said drive shaft to prevent rotation of said drive roll on said shaft.

2. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 1 including hub portions molded integrally with said end walls, and web portions molded integrally with said hub portions and extending outwardly therefrom.

3. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 2 wherein said fastening means (f) comprises screws extending through said web portions at one end of each of said shells and being threaded into the adjacent web portions at the other end of each of said shells.

4. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 1 including spaced apart reinforcing ribs molded integrally with the inner surface of said shell. 

1. A yarn take-up package drive roll comprising a pair of identical semi-cylindrical molded plastic parts adapted to be mounted for ready removal on a dirve shaft, each of said parts including a. a molded semi-cylindrical shell, b. opposed end walls molded integrally with said shell, c. each end wall having a central semi-circular recess adapted to engage and surround said drive shaft, d. a plurality of pins formed integrally with and spaced along one side of said shell, e. A plurality of recesses spaced along the other side of said shell and aligned with said pins, said pins of one of said shells mating with and being positioned in said recesses of the other of a pair of said shells when said shells are aligned and joined at opposite sides of said drive shaft, f. fastening means extending through portions of said end walls of said shells to maintain said shells joined together on opposite sides of said drive shaft, and g. means extending through a portion of at least one of said end walls of each of said shells for engaging said drive shaft to prevent rotation of said drive roll on said shaft.
 2. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 1 including hub portions molded integrally with said end walls, and web portions molded integrally with said hub portions and extending outwardly therefrom.
 3. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 2 wherein said fastening means (f) comprises screws extending through said web portions at one end of each of said shells and being threaded into the adjacent web portions at the other end of each of said shells.
 4. A yarn take-up package drive roll according to claim 1 including spaced apart reinforcing ribs molded integrally with the inner surface of said shell. 